Walton County District Attorney's Office

06/03/2026

On June 1, 2026, Representative Bruce Williamson came to the Walton County Judicial Center to present a State of Georgia flag to the Walton County District Attorney’s Office. But this was not just any Georgia flag. The flag was recently flown above the Capitol of the State of Georgia and came with a certificate signed by Governor Brian Kemp and Marty Smith, Executive Director of the Georgia Building Authority.

Representative Williamson was born and raised in Monroe, GA and has served as a State Representative since 2010. He presented this flag today to honor the hard work of the District Attorney’s Office and for their service to the citizens of Walton County.

On this honor, District Attorney Randy McGinley said, “I want to thank Representative Bruce Williamson for honoring the members of the District Attorney’s Office today. The District Attorney’s Office strives to protect victims, provide justice, and keep our communities safe. Our Office is grateful to have a leader like Representative Williamson at the Capitol who shares these goals. As your District Attorney, I extend my personal gratitude for his recognition of the hard work of my office. My entire office cares deeply for this community and the personal recognition by someone of Representative Williamson’s stature is extremely appreciated.”

“I very much appreciate the leadership of our District Attorney, Randy McGinley, and the hard work and effectiveness of the Walton County District Attorney’s Office,” said Representative Bruce Williamson.

Williamson for Walton

On June 1, 2026, Representative Bruce Williamson came to the Walton County Judicial Center to present a State of Georgia flag to the Walton County District Attorney’s Office. But this was not just any Georgia flag. The flag was recently flown above the Capitol of the State of Georgia and came with...

05/11/2026

Friday evening, Benjamin Seth Ramey was found guilty of Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes and Possession of Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Sentencing will be held after the completion of a presentence investigation by the Department of Community Supervision. Ramey remains in custody.

The case was tried by Chief Assistant District Attorney Cliff Howard, Deputy Chief Investigator Eric Yarbrough, Senior Victim Advocate Donna Brandenburg, Trial Assistant Nhi Hylton, and Legal Assistant Lucy Repp.

04/23/2026

Walton County Jury Finds Convicted Felon Guilty of Possessing a Firearm:

On Tuesday, April 21, Demarius Shavar Cloud was found guilty of Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon and a Child Safety Restraint Violation. On March 10, 2024, the Defendant was driving a vehicle on Highway 78 that was stopped for a traffic offense. Officers observed a young child in the rear of the vehicle was not in a proper child safety seat. When asked if there were any fi****ms in the vehicle, the Defendant admitted that a firearm was in the driver side door pocket. The Defendant was a convicted felon.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Lacey Majors, Investigator Denney Wells, and Legal Assistant Lucy Repp. The City of Monroe Police Department handled the arrest. After the verdict, the Court sentenced Cloud to 5 years with the first 90 to 180 days to serve in a probation detention center.

04/10/2026

DA's Office remains busy even after guilty verdicts:

For a prosecutor's office, a jury verdict finding someone guilty is often not the end of the hard work. Any criminal defendant that is found guilty after a trial has multiple routes to challenge the conviction and/or sentence. This continued work includes combing through thousands of pages of transcripts and records and days worth of legal research and drafting of legal briefs.

Recently, multiple Orders or Opinions were issued upholding convictions and sentences. Click the links to read more about each case. The full Orders and Opinions are available after clicking the links.

Kinterie Durden: Double Murder - Motion for New Trial Denied:
https://www.alcovydaoffice.org/post/da-s-office-remains-busy-even-after-guilty-verdicts -ekdns10329

Michael Wallace: Aggravated Sexual Battery & Child Molestation - Motion for New Trial Denied:
https://www.alcovydaoffice.org/post/da-s-office-remains-busy-even-after-guilty-verdicts -go3ii21997

Jeffery Brown: R**e and numerous other offenses - Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction:
https://www.alcovydaoffice.org/post/da-s-office-remains-busy-even-after-guilty-verdicts -j5xps35482

Click here for more information about the post-conviction process including motions for new trials and appeals:
https://www.alcovydaoffice.org/post/da-s-office-remains-busy-even-after-guilty-verdicts -c2xp610053

04/09/2026

District Attorney's Office Joins Community Event Raising Awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month:

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and A Child's Voice Child Advocacy Center held four Pinwheel Garden events, one in each of Monroe, Loganville, Covington, and Social Circle. Pinwheels represent safe, healthy, and happy childhoods. The DA's Office in both Walton and Newton counties gladly joined staff from A Child's Voice, local law enforcement, and others are these events.

https://www.alcovydaoffice.org/post/district-attorney-s-office-joins-community-event-raising-awareness-for-child-abuse-prevention-month

04/09/2026

Guilty verdict in 2024 domestic violence incident:

Yesterday, Jason Allen Wall was found guilty by a Walton County jury of all charges he was facing, False Imprisonment, Family Violence Simple Battery, and Theft by Taking. The incident occurred in August of 2024, at a residence just outside the Social Circle city limits. During this domestic violence incident, the Defendant took the victim's cell phone and grabbed her by her wrists and pushed her into her bedroom where he refused to let her leave despite her multiple attempts to get away from the Defendant.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ayman Tartir, Victim Advocates Kathy Smith and Leighanna Waddell, Deputy Chief Investigator Eric Yarbrough, and Legal Assistant Lucy Repp. The Walton County GA Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and handled the investigation and arrest.

After the guilty verdict, the Court sentenced the Defendant to 10 years with the 1st year in prison, but that 1 year will be suspended upon him serving 60 days in the Walton County Jail. While under sentence, he can have no contact with the victim and must complete a Domestic Violence Intervention Program.

02/19/2026

This is a great article about a recent case in a nearby jurisdiction that addresses social media issues in high profile cases:

“The Social Media Distortion

Social media is not a venue for adjudication. It is an engine of amplification governed by incentives fundamentally misaligned with evidentiary reasoning. Algorithms reward engagement, not accuracy. Confidence, not calibration. Fragments, not synthesis.

Testimony becomes clips. Complex forensic evidence becomes slogans. Assertions circulate without cross-examination, admissibility standards, or methodological scrutiny. Expertise and conjecture appear visually indistinguishable to audiences consuming information at speed.

The result is not analysis. It is distortion.

Within hours of any high-profile verdict, feeds populate with emphatic conclusions from commentators who neither observed the full proceedings nor engaged the evidentiary record in its entirety. Probabilities are trivialized. Context evaporates. Isolated details are inflated into false significance.

Echo chambers transform repetition into perceived truth.

None of this alters the function of a jury.”

The Unassailable Conviction of Edrick Faust

02/19/2026

Walton residents that received a jury summons for Monday, February 23, do not have to appear for jury duty.

The trial week that was set for next week in Walton County has been canceled. If you have questions please call the Walton County Clerk's Office, 770-267-1307.

02/06/2026

Second child molestation guilty verdict of the week:

This afternoon, Ronnie Halford (66) was found guilty of Aggravated Child Molestation, Child Molestation, Aggravated Sexual Battery, Sexual Battery of a Child Under 16, and Simple Battery.

The incident occurred in May of 2023 and the victim was a young relative of the Defendant. The victim quickly made an outcry to a family member about what the defendant had done. An investigation ensued that included DNA evidence.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Lacey Majors, Victim Advocate Suzanna Maulfair, Investigators Melindy White and Denney Wells, and Senior Legal Assistant Melanie Sims. The investigation was handled by the Walton County GA Sheriff's Office with assistance from the GBI Crime Lab. The victim also received services from A Child's Voice Child Advocacy Center

After the verdict, the Court proceeded to sentencing. With the victim standing next to her, Senior ADA Majors read a statement to the court of the impact these crimes had and the support she received from her family.

The Court then sentenced the defendant to two consecutive life sentences followed by additional years.

- DA Randy McGinley